Fans Take Issue with '13 Reasons Why' Series Finale Over AIDS Plot Twist

[Editor's note: This article contains major spoilers about the final season of "13 Reasons Why," including its series finale.]

On Friday, the final season of the controversial teen drama "13 Reasons Why" hit Netflix. Now that fans have had the weekend to watch Season 4, some are taking issue with its one-hour-and-forty-minute series finale episode in which a character is suddenly diagnosed with A.I.D.S. and are voicing their concerns on social media.

[Second warning: Major spoilers follow]

The season begins with a mystery funeral, later to be revealed that the person who died is Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn). The character was a recovering heroin addict, who also opened up about being a sex worker as well as homeless during the series. In Season 4's penultimate episode, Justin faints during prom, and, in the finale, it is revealed that he had unknowingly contracted H.I.V., but the virus had already progressed to A.I.D.S. It isn't long before Justin succumbs to the illness and he dies in an extremely emotional sendoff.

A number of "13 Reasons Why" fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns about the storyline. Some said the program missed an opportunity to show that living with H.I.V. isn't a death sentence while others had problems with Justin's story arc – that he struggled throughout the four seasons of the drama only to find peace in the final season but tragically die. Others said the show is tone-deaf, killing a character, played by a queer actor, with A.I.D.S. during Pride Month.

This isn't the first time "13 Reasons Why" has caught flack. After debuting in 2017, the show came under fire for glamorizing suicide and self-harm. The outcry over those graphic depictions, as well as rape, eventually lead Netflix to add warning cards before episodes, which alert viewers to the episode's themes. Netflix even edited out a suicide scene that was featured in the first season's finale.

Find some of the reactions to the Season 4 finale below.